Tech assistants keep chasing Olympic dreams

Virginia Tech assistant coaches Mary Jayne Harrelson, Dee O'Connell and Melinda Sallins will compete at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, which start Friday in Sacramento, Calif.

They chose the challenging life of a postcollegiate athlete because they didn't think they had reached their potential.

"There's a lot more in the running world I can accomplish," Harrelson said. "I don't want to throw in the spikes until I know I've done all I can do. I don't want to have regrets in 15 years."

At Tech, they have a place to pursue their dreams. That doesn't mean life is a breeze.

"You don't realize when you're a college athlete 90 percent of what is done is taken care of by everybody else," said O'Connell, an ex-Hokie. "When you're on your own, you're in charge of that 90 percent. It's a hard transition. These kids don't realize how much they get done for them."

Harrelson is a salaried assistant coach, while O'Connell and Sallins are volunteers. Sallins earns a paycheck as an administrative assistant in the Tech track office, but O'Connell has no paying job. Each finished fifth or better at the last USA indoor or outdoor championships.

Most postcollegiate athletes ranked in the top five don't get any financial support from USA Track and Field, said Dave Cianelli, Tech's director of men's and women's track and field and cross country. "You have to fend for yourself. That's why we lose so many after college," he said. "These athletes really sacrifice a lot because most of the time they put their career on hold while they're doing this."

Profiles of the three Olympic hopefuls on page 6

Photos by MATT GENTRY l The Roanoke Times

Dee O'Connell and Melinda Sallins are volunteer assistants with the Hokies track and field program, while Mary Jayne Harrelson is a salaried assistant.

OLYMPIC TRIALS Track and Field

Mary Jayne Harrelson

Melinda Sallins

Dee O'Connell

Profiles of the three Olympic hopefuls. 6